


Take a Break

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Angst, Fluff, Loveless Marriage, M/M, Married Jimmy Novak/Dean Winchester, Prompt Fill, ghost!cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 04:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7830523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel is very protective of his hotel. He hates all the most recent staff, and he hates Dean, until he doesn't.</p><p>_____</p><p>Prompt: Dean and Jimmy are stuck in a loveless marriage when Jimmy takes a job as a hotel caretaker. The last few caretakers have either gone insane or killed themselves for reasons unknown, but Dean is forced to stay with his husband in the hotel for the winter. Cas is a ghost in the hotel who doesn’t like the staff, but sees Dean and becomes infatuated. He possesses Jimmy to win Dean’s heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a Break

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CoralQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoralQueen/gifts).



> Crossposted to tumblr [here.](http://foxtherighteous.tumblr.com/post/149276008256/take-a-break-prompt-dean-and-jimmy-are-stuck-in)
> 
> This is shamelessly named after [the Hamilton song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOrnLU8LyAU)

                The couple, if you could call them that, had moved into the hotel at the beginning of the winter two weeks ago. When they were together they fought consistently, pausing only to give each other the silent treatment. When Castiel had first observed them he’d written them off as being exactly the same as every single other new couple or single visitor that wandered into his hotel: loud, intrusive and annoying. Their only saving grace had been that he already knew one of the men, Jimmy, and he didn’t steal, cheat or jeopardise the reputation of his hotel like the last five managers.

                Jimmy was kind, he did his best to help the hotel’s residents and complained very little. He enjoyed being the caretaker of the hotel, which is all Castiel could ask for. His husband? His husband seemed content to complain and sulk in his hotel room all day. He would constantly pipe up with comments about how the hotel was ridiculous (words which cut Castiel to the core), or dropping the offhand remark about how the track record suggested that Jimmy would eventually die here.

                Castiel had had no intention of killing the previous three caretakers, he had only wanted to drive them and their corruption away from his hotel. When he’d been alive, his only goal had been to make his hotel a safe and friendly place people would enjoy returning to. He had wanted to be fair and kind, which is why he got so angry when the first caretaker would steal money from the hotel. Castiel had driven that man insane with his anger. Or when the second had heinously disrespected the guests and the hotel day in day out whilst demanding a larger paycheck. Castiel had forced him to experience the sadness of all the people he’d been rude or cruel to, but it was too much. Or when the last caretaker had been caught selling drugs by a guest, then forced the guest to stay quiet on pain of death. Castiel had discovered that this attitude extended to other areas of his life and turned his drugs to gunpowder. Which he, himself, admits was probably overkill. All Castiel’s actions were malicious and cruel but he had found that, in dying, he could no longer control his anger; everything got out of hand quickly.

                Castiel didn’t like Jimmy’s husband, which is why he’d stood unseen in the man’s bedroom, seething silently and devising a plan to drive him from the hotel. He didn’t like Jimmy’s husband, until he’d heard the man speak on the phone that day.

                “Well what are _you_ doing for the winter?” he’d demanded into the phone. “…That’s because you and your wife are _happy_ , for God’s sake, you could spend a year in an igloo and you’d still enjoy yourself.”

                Castiel only heard half of the conversation, therefore, he had to assume what Dean’s conversational partner was saying.

                “No it’s not… it’s really not that bad a place. I mean, it’s kinda nice, I just don’t wanna spend the whole winter here. Figured I could play it up and he’d give up, y’know. Yeah, yeah I know it’s pathetic. It’s not like I haven’t told him I don’t want to be here!” Hearing Dean’s new assessment of Castiel’s hotel helped alleviate some of his anger. “I’m mostly just scared, Sammy, I mean the past three caretakers have died here. I know I don’t love him and he doesn’t love me, but it doesn’t mean I don’t _care_ about the guy? I don’t want anyone to die.”

                That’s how Castiel got to this point, where he is currently stood, _stood,_ with human feet, possessing Dean’s husband.

                He was awkwardly still, staring with wide eyes straight at Dean, who had yet to notice him. He’d been stood there for five minutes, silent, almost looming, waiting for Dean to realise he was there before he gave up.

                “Hello Dean,” he tried.

                “What do you want?” Dean replied, without even so much as looking up from his phone.

                Castiel was thrown for a loop, completely unaware of what to answer to that.

                “I, uh… I wanted to… spend some time with you?” Castiel was not good at talking anymore. “Dear?”

                Dean looked scandalised, at the question or the endearment Castiel did not know. “Excuse me?”

                “We’re on holiday, should we not carry out activities?”

                “The fuck happened to your voice, man?” Jimmy had had a higher pitched voice than the one Castiel was currently speaking in.

                “I… have a… cold. Honey.”

                “Don’t do that.”

                “Do what?”

                “Call me honey. Or dear. What the hell is wrong with you?” Dean was practically incredulous.

                Castiel panicked. “I do not know. I shall go away. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

                He tried again three days later.

                “Hello Dean,” Castiel greeted, shoving a bouquet of flowers into Dean’s face.

                “What?” Dean responded, carefully taking the flowers and lowering them from his face, “You bought me flowers? What’s the occasion?”

                “There is no occasion. I am your… husband, Dean, and as your husband it is my duty to bring you beautiful gifts.”

                Beautiful was kind of a stretch. The only place Castiel could find to buy flowers was a gas station a twenty minute walk from the hotel. The flowers (Castiel had no idea what kind they were) were slightly wilting and drab, but the thought was what really mattered in Castiel’s opinion.

                “Uh… thanks,” Dean was confused to say the least. Jimmy had never really been the romantic type when it came to their marriage, so to say that the behaviour was out of character was quite an understatement. Dean looked up, as though to say something else but Castiel was already gone. His room contained a decorative vase. That evening, Dean put it to use.

                Castiel kept up this behaviour, buying Dean a new plaid shirt, similar in design but different in colour to the one Dean wore most frequently. He gave Dean a crate of his favourite beer, citing that he “saw you were running low, and it was just easy to buy this today”. He bought a freshly made apple pie from a bakery he saw Dean eyeing. Dean had been the most shocked at the last present. He’d said “you never buy me pie, you don’t even like it,” a phrase which scared Castiel so much he’d run straight to the bathroom.

                “Castiel, you idiot,” he spoke to the mirror, “you had to pick his husband, of all people? Why couldn’t you have possessed the bellhop or the receptionist? He’s never going to fall for someone he already has an emotional investment in! You could have picked a stranger, a completely clean slate. Why do I make such awful decisions? I don’t want anyone to die this time. I don’t want to kill anyone this time.”

                “You killed them.”

                Castiel jumped away from the mirror, turning, terrified, to face Dean, who was stood in the doorway. “All those other caretakers, you killed them.”

                “I didn’t… I didn’t want to hurt anyone, I just wanted them to leave, I promise. I’d never kill anyone, but dying seems to have affected my morals,” Castiel pleaded.

                “Who are you? What… are you?”

                Castiel swallowed, seeing any potential for any kind of connection with Dean go down the drain. “My name is Castiel. I was the original owner of this hotel.”

                “So you’re a…”

                “Ghost. I’m a ghost. I’m so sorry, Dean-”

                “Where’s my husband?” Dean looked terrified, but also intrigued.

                “He’s here, with me, but he’s not conscious. It’s like he’s sleeping, almost. He can’t hear any of this.” Castiel hesitated a moment before adding, “He’s safe.”

                “So, the flowers, the beers, the shirt, it was all you?”

                “I… I really like you. I don’t even know why I tried, you’re married, and I’m a ghost for crying out loud, I’m so sorry, Dean.” He was plucking at his fingers in front of himself, trying not to let his body shake with nerves as his voice shook from his mouth.

                “I’ve been married to Jimmy for four years.”

                “I’m so sorry, I don’t want to force you to-”

                “Castiel,” Dean interrupted, and Castiel was taken aback at the sound of his name coming from Dean’s mouth. “I’ve been married to Jimmy for four years, and every romantic thing he’s done for me in that time added together wouldn’t equate to even half of what you’ve done for me. You’re sweet, and I’d like to get to know you better, but we have to figure out how to do that without you possessing Jimmy.”

                “You want to get to know me?” Castiel was shocked.

                “Yeah, I really do,” Dean was bashful as he responded, “but you have to let Jimmy go.”

                “I can do that, Dean,” he said, and expelled himself from Jimmy’s body.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are like being wrapped in a blanket and told you're awesome.
> 
> If you wanna prompt me come drop me an ask or a message at my tumblr, [FoxTheRighteous.tumblr.com](Foxtherighteous.tumblr.com)
> 
> Dear prompter, I am SO SO SO SORRY that it took me so long to fill this (in my defense I went on holiday for a week then A-Level results happened). This took waaaay too long, and I'll be honest I actually found this really difficult to write and ended up restarting it to write it from Cas' perspective. I really hope you like it and that you can forgive me. Much love, Fox


End file.
